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The Greenville Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator Program helps accelerate the development of high potential minority business enterprises (MBEs) to strengthen and expand the regional minority entrepreneurial community. Occasionally, we spotlight the participating companies and their success stories or other MBA news of interest.

Minority Business Accelerator (MBA) is a program of the Greenville Chamber which actively seeks to improve the capacity of minority owned firms by increasing recognition of the value of minority businesses as suppliers, strategic partners, and, ultimately, as effective engines for job growth, economic development and wealth creation. MBA prepares high potential minority-owned businesses for accelerated growth and expansion through business development services, mentoring, targeted training, access to large corporations for partnership opportunities and custom roadmap to sustainable growth. MBA helps MBEs overcome growth barriers creates access to new opportunities for ethnic diverse businesses, connecting them with the right resources and results-driven strategies to fuel their growth and build capacity.

MBA Facts:

1 of 5 Chambers in the country to offer a Minority Business Accelerator program

Approximately $10 MIL in contracts awarded since inception

Approximately 140 jobs created since inception

Organic Tan

Organic Tan is a modern boutique upscale spa offering natural beauty service alternatives to meet customers’ wellness and beauty needs. The owner, Lindsey Holder, is a native of Greenville. She lived in Los Angeles for many years, but in 2010, she decided to come back to her hometown to operate her own business.

Lindsey started her business out of her parents’ garage. She smiled and said, “It may sound cliche, but it’s true.” She captured one client at a time and her business was a slow growth process, but grew over time. Lindsey is now ready to take her business to the next level.

When you walk in Organic Tan, you experience a 1,500 square foot relaxing space. Lindsey has five professional staff members, allowing her to offer a full range of spa services to meet customers’ needs. Lindsey’s exceptional service makes her firm unique from her competitors. She is also on the cutting edge of accessibility allowing the “modern professional” the ability to easily make appointments online. This technology option provides an efficient way to serve customers.

After experiencing business growth last year, Lindsey ended up creating a waiting list of eager clients. She was grateful for the interest, but also challenged by her inability to immediately service clients on her waiting list. She recognized that she could not accept new clients without increasing capacity to provide service. Lindsey knew she needed to resolve this issue so that she could continue to grow her client base. Currently Organic Tan is going through renovations to add more treatment rooms to accommodate growth.

As an entrepreneur, Lindsey believes in constantly striving to be your best, to be a lifetime student and know you always have something to learn. She advocates that business owners provide services and opportunities that benefit others in ways that can be sustaining. Her business success led to many customers reaching out to Lindsey seeking suggestions for their business endeavors. Some even wanted to invest in her business. Lindsey is thankful for these amazing compliments.

Lindsey is a participant in the Greenville Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator program this year. She shares that the greatest benefit she is gaining so far is the opportunity to learn how to refine her business in specific areas. “It is time to look at my business and face those questions which the MBA program has required us to answer,” she said. She advised for minority business entrepreneurs or women business entrepreneurs to “get ready to engage in MBA program.” She explained that this program will help you to look deeply within your business and pinpoint the weaknesses you have. Moreover, Lindsey is appreciative of her peer CEO mentoring group she is assigned to through MBA. “It is so refreshing to gather with other entrepreneurs,” she said. She feels she is not alone because her group members face the same hardships and challenges as she does and she appreciates the support system.

Nika White is the Senior Advisor to the Greenville Chamber’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative.

Naomi Lin, the Diversity and Inclusion Intern, also contributed to this blog.